Designers Tell All - Rose Tarlow

When I begin with a new client, I always... Listen very carefully to what they’re saying and decide to have fun. When people are designing or building a house, they always seem to think it’s going to be a difficult process, and I don’t want to work on a difficult process. I want to do something that I’ll enjoy and that the client will enjoy too. I do so few design projects. When I decide to do something, it’s because it’s very intriguing and exciting. I don’t take a job just to do it.

The mistake most people make when doing their own designing is... Taking themselves too seriously. They get too intense and allow themselves to second-guess. They should take their time and enjoy the process and the end product. Do it slowly.

Clients can make the design process go more smoothly by... Enjoying the process. They don’t do this very often, so make it something special. Omit the word problem from their vocabulary! Go into it with positive expectations.

The most unusual request from a client was... I asked a client what he wanted for his private office, and he just said, “Gypsy.” He gave me no other clues.

For someone who wants a big look on a small budget today... There are so many great products out there in every price range. Set your backgrounds and take your time. Make the room a place you want to be in, whether it’s painting the walls or making some architectural changes. Then take your time getting the furniture. There’s a lot of great furniture to buy.

One of the best things right now to collect for an investment is... Scandinavian furniture; French furniture that is not overpriced at the moment but will see a resurgence within the next few years.

In the area of home electronics, people are asking for... Everything. If I do a screening room, I just want to make it comfortable; I don’t really get involved with the mechanics.

In the next ten years the most important thing in design or architecture will be... We don’t know what’s going to be there in 10 years. Ten years ago we didn’t have what we have today. It could completely change again. We have to be able to go along with it and not get stuck in the past and not stand still.

My biggest design mistake was... Is to build a house in a foreign country. I’m just finishing up building a house in the south of France, and it’s been a difficult process. I like to be on top of things and be there. When you’re not, you have to go back and repair mistakes, and it gets frustrating. It’s not sensible unless you’re on the job.

My favorite room to design is... The living room.

I change my own interiors... Rarely! I don’t favor changing every time there’s a new trend. But that’s not to say that freshening up is out of the question.

There are many rules designers and architects should bear in mind. one is... Study. Learn the rules before you break them. I always think that a good artist who does abstract work must also know how to paint in the classical way. In design, learn the classics, study the past, study the great architecture and design of the world, and then draw from all of that your own perspective.

The order I follow when I design is... I make sure that I understand the needs and dreams of my clients. Then I work on the architectural details or changes.

Every home must have... A cozy bedroom. As in every room, it should have a little spot where you love to sit and read and where you can see everything beautiful around you.

My personal dream house would be... I live in my own personal dream house. It’s wearing well. It’s taken on its own personality, its own soul, without my interfering. It just gets better and better. When beautiful, simple things are massed together, they always seem to produce something special.

Who or what has influenced my style... Everything I see! I’m influenced especially by nature. A tree influences me. I once said that a tropical fish influences me. I’m influenced by anything that’s natural. There’s a certain cleanliness, an order in the universe, that I try to emulate if I can.

Three essentials for entertaining are... Interesting guests, marvelous food and an intelligent host.

For inspiration, I go to... My architecture and design books. But really it’s about seeing, really looking at things, at everything. You go down a street and see a certain shutter, a piece of ironwork. All of it goes into your brain; you absorb it, and it comes out. You don’t always use it in the same way; you take a little piece of this, and it comes back when you need it.